Cutting Carbon

This past July was the hottest month in recorded history. And it followed the hottest June humans have ever seen. In fact, if you include 2019, the past five years have been the hottest five years on record. From New England to New Delhi, temperatures are rising fast, fueling deadly heat waves, severe droughts, and dangerous conflicts. We’re experiencing a climate crisis.

“By the EPA’s own estimates, the new rule will result in the deaths of thousands of Americans,” Conservation Law Foundation attorney James Crowley said in a statement. “The Trump administration’s pathetic rule is nothing more than a lifeline for dying coal plants, and we will continue to fight it.”

CLF succeeds because we have people like you by our side. In this special annual report issue of Conservation Matters, we are honoring just a few of our many local heroes, people who have devoted their time, energy, and passion to defending our homes, protecting our children’s health, and supporting the vibrancy of our communities.

Getting serious about tackling the climate crisis means getting around without burning fossil fuels. Unfortunately, most cars and trucks still run on gasoline, which pollutes both our air and our climate. In fact in New England, the exhaust from cars, trucks, and buses accounts for more than a third of our climate-damaging emissions. This needs to change. Vermont needs to put at least 50,000 electric cars and trucks on the road by 2025 to meet the goals set forth in the State’s energy plan. With only around 3,000 on the road right now, we are far from on track to get there.

Air pollution poses a serious threat to our health, and the emissions from cars, trucks, and buses are some of the most dangerous. In Massachusetts, this pollution does not affect all communities equally.

Springfield, alongside community and environmental organizations like CLF, has been fighting this proposed biomass plant for years. We set the fight aside in 2017 when Palmer Renewable Energy, the company behind the proposal, paused its plans for construction. But now the company is back, hoping that its efforts to weaken state policy will bring its proposal back to life.

With recently passed legislation, community choice power is on the verge of becoming a powerful tool for local, community-based efforts to advance clean energy, save people money, and curb carbon pollution.

Maine’s newly elected governor and legislature delivered on critical new laws that will cut climate-damaging emissions, protect Maine’s families and children from toxic chemicals, clean up our rivers, and save energy – all while creating jobs, growing new industries, and strengthening the economy.